spot and sat phones

[Retterath]

i know this has been brought up before but was looking at getting a spot messenger or a maybe a sat phone but dont want to pay 12 month contract, i was hoping for getting a month by month plan. Is there any other options out there for a month by month thing. What do u guys think of the new Gen 3 spot that have it, or do u guys have sat phones. I plan on doing some elk hunting solo this year and my wife thinks i need something.thanks for the input

 

[LaHunter]

1) you can rent a satellite phone by the month or 2) you can buy an InReach device and buy a month of service. Most everything that I have read says the iridium satellite network is much more reliable than the satellite network that the Spot uses. I have been looking at the InReach Explorer device for off grid communications.

 

[25contender]

I have used a spot for the past 2 years since there is zero cell service within 20 miles of where I hunt and my wife loves it. I send two pre-programed messages a day to let her know all is well. I stay out for 7-14 days a pop so it is well worth it to give her piece of mind. They are great on batteries and every message I have sent has made it through to the recipients. One of the recipients is my e-mail so I can make sure the Spot was working the way it should. It is small light and a good deal.

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

I have used a spot for the past 2 years since there is zero cell service within 20 miles of where I hunt and my wife loves it. I send two pre-programed messages a day to let her know all is well. I stay out for 7-14 days a pop so it is well worth it to give her piece of mind. They are great on batteries and every message I have sent has made it through to the recipients. One of the recipients is my e-mail so I can make sure the Spot was working the way it should. It is small light and a good deal.

Same situation for me. Being an older hunter in my 70's and often hunting alone, the Spot has worked well for me. It gives my wife peace of mind.

 

[RICMIC]

I agree with CC on the SPOT. It has always sent my check-in messages, so an emergency message would be there when you need it. I have rented sat phones for extended canoe trips, and have one assigned to me when I am guiding trips. But, when solo I am too cheap to pay the bill by myself. The Delorme In-Reach has more options, but you do pay for it. I love the feature on my SPOT that marks my GPS location on Google Earth. I will do a check-in at camp and when a get a critter down, then when I get home I have a sat photo of the exact spot.

 

[Musket Man]

I think my SPOT costs around $100 a year. Well worth it to keep the woman from worrying and if something really bad ever did happen it could save your life. I know it kinda seems like a waste to pay for something year round that you use 1 or 2 weeks a year but on the other hand if you get a wild hair and decide to go on a wolf hunt in Idaho tomorrow its ready to go!

 

[Retterath]

Thanks guys for the input. I will probally be getting the spot gen 3 or the delorme in reach with two way communication.

 

[RICMIC]

A piece of advice for whatever you do get. Always have it on your person and not in your pack. We had a guy in our MN deer camp who also had the SPOT at his family's insistance, but he would leave it on his bunk. I convinced him to take it with him, and he later fell out of his treestand. Luckily he wasn't hurt because his SPOT was in his pack, up the tree. It is hard to carry a sat phone in a pocket though because they are just too big & heavy. There was one guy (as related in the "Spot Saves") stories who was solo kayaking down the McKenzie river to the arctic. He was swept under the ice in strong current, popped out downstream and hung on a cliffside in the river. He was able to activate a signal and had a helicopter overhead within two hours. I carry mine in a good small dry bag, either in a pocket or if canoeing, in my life vest.

 

[okielite]

Do some research on the differences in each unit and look at actual reviews. I looked into this a few years ago and the reviews on the spot were terrible. Lots of messages that dont' go through. I prefer the EPIRB units as they are true lifesaving devices IMO and the Spot is more of a novelty items.

 

[Retterath]

This is what I'm thinking of getting. I have heard the iridium has some great satellites. I rented a iridium phone in alaska this year and it worked great. What I also like about this one is there is two way communication if needed or u can just use presets and can also do a month by month or when ever u need the service.
http://www.inreachdelorme.com/product-info/inreachse.php

Thanks for all the input

 

[tim]

I have had the original spot since they came out. very useful for letting the mrs no everything is good.

What I am looking for is a way to text via satellite, and be able to send and receive texts that are not prerecorded. Does that exist? create a text and send it and receive the reply via satellites, not cell service.

 

[Retterath]

I have had the original spot since they came out. very useful for letting the mrs no everything is good.

What I am looking for is a way to text via satellite, and be able to send and receive texts that are not prerecorded. Does that exist? create a text and send it and receive the reply via satellites, not cell service.

Look at that last link I put on. Yes u can text back and forth

 

[Sawfish]

Same situation for me. Being an older hunter in my 70's and often hunting alone, the Spot has worked well for me. It gives my wife peace of mind.

Great system. Reliability at reasonable cost.

 

[tim]

thank you, I was under the understanding that the delorme inreach as prereocored text only. way cool, I might have to try it out.

 

[Don K]

Get the Inreach and you will be happy. IMO, the Inreach will put Spot out of business unless they come up with a better mouse trap. I had a Spot, and the Inreach leaves it in the dust..........

 

[Retterath]

The Inreach really has some nice features that I like and there plans are very flexible and u can up grade or down grade anytime and pick month to month if u want service or not. The spot I'm sure does a great job also and it's really personal preference.

 

[RICMIC]

The old adage, "If it works, don't fix it" applies for me on this subject. There is always something new and better around the corner. It took me 20 minutes to figure out how the DVD player worked the other day, and I still wish I could get a rotary phone. I suspect that in a few years, all phones will work on sats. Reminds me of the song from my youth, "In the Year 2525". If you are not familiar with that, Google it on your smart phone. Sorry about rambling on, but that's what us old farts do sometimes.